Sunday

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145 comments to Sunday

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    Richard

    Various studies now show that a decline in cloud-cover over the past 50 or so years can explain what global warming we’ve experieneced. Clouds simultaneously cool and warm the Earth. For every 5 W/m² that clouds cool the Earth by they warm it by 3 W/m² (IPCC AR5). Therefore, a *general* reduction in cloud-cover should lead to net-warming. A few studies shown in the article below.

    https://notrickszone.com/2025/03/25/new-study-recent-unprecedented-cloud-cover-decline-driving-modern-and-past-climate-change/

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    • #
      Graeme No.3

      Richard:
      Make me wonder whether the clean-up of air pollution in the USA, UK etc. from the 1970’s may have reduced ‘clouds’.
      Also the precession cycle now increasing amount of solar in the northern hemisphere. Both would have increased solar heating of the surface slightly.
      Any effect of both will be blamed on extra CO2 by the gullible (e.g. Simon) and exaggerated into a climate catastrophe (despite ample evidence that the northern reaches were warmer in Medieval Times despite CO2 level around 285 p.p.m.)

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    • #
      RickWill

      But the reduction in cloud cover is not observed globally. I looked at the changes in loss of radiant energy globally by latitude considering changes in reflected solar (SWR) and outgoing long wave (OLR). The resulting chart is on this link:
      https://i0.wp.com/wattsupwiththat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image-105.png?ssl=1
      The net change is a reduction of 1.1W/m^2 globally averaged.

      Cloud cover has actually increased over Antarctica indicating it has cooled because the cloud there is low level that helps retain heat. Cloud cover has also increased just north of the Equator indicating that more ocean surface is reaching the 30C limit in that region and going into regulation mode. In that region the reduction in SWR and increase in OLR are almost equal but the loss in surface solar radiation due to the cloud is close to twice the reduction in OLR. The convective instability over 30C ocean is a powerful surface temperature regulating process. It is almost a hard limit that range between 29 and 30C once the instability kicks in. The surface temperature can overshoot to 31C or so before the atmospheric column approaches equilibrium with the surface. The Arabian Sea is approaching the point of convective instability now:
      https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/surface/currents/overlay=sea_surface_temp/orthographic=-282.89,5.70,379/loc=71.752,8.702
      It is not unusual for cyclones to form at around 7N in the Indian Ocean in April ahead of the monsoon setting in over India in late May or June.

      The reduction in tropical cloud cover in the SH, peaking around 12S, is due almost entirely to the Pacific Ocean circulation bringing cool Southern Ocean water up the west coast of South America and then heading toward the Equator across the Pacific Ocean.
      https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/surface/currents/overlay=sea_surface_temp/orthographic=-100.94,-19.64,379/loc=-108.099,-15.742
      The Southern Ocean has a long term cooling trend so the water in the Pacific circulation starts a little cooler. It still reaches 30C by the time it gets to the Solomon Islands and PNG.

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      • #
        Richard

        Thanks for the reasoned and thought-out reply Rick. I will note that Warren 2012 estimates a reduction in global cloudiness of 1.56% between 1971-2009. Assuming a reduction in general global cloudiness of 1.56% that equates to 3 W/m2 of increased shortwave radiation according to Reed’s (1977) Flux Formula.

        Dr. Roy Spencer tells us:

        ❝One of the most obvious ways for warming to be caused naturally is for small fluctuations in circulation patterns of the atmosphere and ocean to result in a 1% to 2% change in global cloud cover❞

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        • #
          RickWill

          I am gradually coming to the conclusion that the Climate Scam™ had more thought behind it than just a grab for power by the UN. Once they created the UNIPCC and aligned the climate models, I believe it was no accident that they chose 1850 as the reference year. It may have been dumb luck but I don’t think the scientists involved were that stupid.

          1850 coincided with the daily peak solar intensity in the NH being lower than the solar constant (say 1361W/m^2) from the March solstice to the September solstice. It means every day of the exposure of the northern hemisphere to the sun in 1850, the distance between Earth and Sun was greater than the average distance.

          For comparison, in 2025, April, May, June and July all get more intense sunlight than they did in 1850 (May up by 2W/m^2). August, September, and November get less. So compared with 1850, the NH is warming up faster and going to a higher temperature but then getting more snowfall to delay the cooling process as the ocean heat gets transferred to the land.

          Compared to 1850, the peak solar intensity in March and April of 2016 was 15W/m^2 up. But to balance that, September and October were down 15W./m^2. Gives a clue to why NH fall snowfall in 2016 was very high. Earth rotates around the centre of the solar system rather than the Sun so there can be significant year-to-year seasonal variation. Such an extreme difference will not be common until the year 3000. By the year 4000 April will be up 40W/m^2 over 1850 and 26W/m^2 over March this year.

          Overall, the NH is in a 9,000 year upward trend in peak solar while the SH is in a downward trend. In 9,000 years, aphelion will align with the boreal summer solstice and peak solar intensity will be 90W/m^2 up on what it was in 1580 when aphelion occurred just before the austral summer solstice. But 1850 was the year of lowest average solar intensity in the NH.

          All the daily distance data to derive the daily solar intensity comes from JPL, which is part of NASA and their GISS climate modelling group. So I suspect someone has looked at the daily solar intensity like I have done. I am uncertain if the climate models look at temporal and spatial changes in solar intensity but I know their output does not reflect those changes.

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            Graeme4

            Maurice Strong, along with Bert Bolin, created the organisation that eventually became the IPCC. Strong was also involved in setting up the Montreal Protocol for CFC use. Strong, a self-confessed socialist, has been quoted as saying: “What if a small group of world leaders were to conclude that the principal risk to the Earth comes from the actions of the rich countries? … In order to save the planet, the group decides: Isn’t the only hope for the planet that the industrialised civilisations collapse? Isn’t it our responsibility to bring this about?”

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              Gary S

              Not forgetting that much of the observed warming from weather stations, mostly in populated areas, is due to the U.H.I. effect.

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              • #
                Graeme4

                I would also add that for Australia, the number of inland temperature monitoring sites has increased. And let’s not forget the effects of homogenisation.

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            Richard

            I am gradually coming to the conclusion that the Climate Scam™ had more thought behind it than just a grab for power by the UN.

            The global warming scare appears to serve multiple interests for the elite: redistributing wealth, undermining democracy and Western civilization, consolidating power, and promoting a belief system resembling James Lovelock’s ‘Gaia Hypothesis’ as their new religion.

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              Steve of Cornubia

              I think, rather than a weird collaboration between wealthy elites, socialists and other control freaks, the AGW behemoth is the result of these groups all using AGW for different ends. Some are becoming obscenely rich, socialists see it as a means to bring down democracies while others see it as a means of transferring wealth and power from the first world to the third. Then there are the St. Gretas, who want it to redistribute power from the old order, to a young (as yet undefined) global regime.

              It is this shared use of AGW for diverse ends that has allowed it to grow. As George Carlin said, “You don’t need a formal conspiracy when interests converge.”

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            • #

              Interesting that the rise in hype surrounding climate change picked up several gears post with the downfall of communism in Europe.I guess a void always needs to be filled and CC is the ideal camoflauge for redistribution of wealth and centralised power.

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            • #
              MeAgain

              https://escapekey.substack.com/p/primitive-economics-of-trobriand

              This substack traces the roots of the deception well. This is not a bad article to start with

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          • #
            Don Amoore

            So many words so little action – kill net zero, get out of Paris, IPCC, WHO. Don’t just talk about it. Start a movement [SNIP].

            [no threats of that kind] ED

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      • #
        el+gordo

        The South Pacific Gyre is cooling because the Southern Ocean is cooling.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pacific_Gyre#/media/File:South_Pacific_Gyre.png

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        Mike Jonas

        The reduction in cloud cover may not be uniform, but there has been a clear global decline in cloud cover for over 30 years (specifically 1983-2017).

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      Greg in NZ

      I’m beginning to detect a pattern here regarding these millionaires, oligarchs and billionaires, generally white males who inherited, scammed, and/or made their fortunes through black gold, ie. oil, who then Road To Damascus-style announced their change of heart to Just Say No™️ to all things hydrocarbon petrochemical plastic etc.

      Maurice Strong
      Leonard Blavatnik
      Rockefeller(s)
      and others whose names I dare not speak.

      Unless the ‘ban’ is purely for we little folk while the self-chosen carry on their lives of luxury?

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      • #
        Steve of Cornubia

        I think there is a very real need for the super-wealthy and privileged to serve penance for their lives of luxury, to assuage the guilt that lurks at the back of their minds when they sup their champagne as impoverished families struggle to keep the heating on. One way to do this is to give away a few million to good causes, while of course declaring the donation on their tax return and announcing the gift on social media. This might leave them with just a billion or so to get by on.

        Another way to signal their repentance when paying $1M for a car is to support AGW etc, and convince themselves that their efforts to curb the appetites of the plebs is helping save the Earth. This makes then a ‘good’ rich person.

        Good deeds completed, they fly to Monaco in their private jet to watch the F1 Grand Prix.

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  • #

    Is a negative of this, the best prediction ever? Due to it being almost exactly wrong.
    Chance of exceeding median rainfall. March 2025 Model run 24/2/25 Model Access-S2. Issued 2025 Feb 27.
    http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/sco/archive/index.jsp?map=rain&outlook=median&details=null&period=month1&year=2025&month=2&day=27

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    • #
      Bruce

      Well, in my little “rain-shadow” part of Briz-Vegas; rainfall, March 2025 to date:

      683mm

      How many variables can dance on the top of a rain gauge? Apart from ‘cloud cover” / Albedo?

      Tilts of the planet, elliptical orbit. oceanic currents, feral Pacific volcanoes, etc.?

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      • #
        RickWill

        You missed the most important orbital change – axial precession. The time of the year when the Earth is closest to the Sun. And it is also important to know that Earth does not rotate around the centre of the Sun. In fact, the barycentre of the solar system can be outside the surface of the sun. point of rotation of Earth and what the actual distance is. The entire Sun will be outside the barycentre of the solar system for all of 2025.i

        Eccentricity modulates the seasonal changes in solar intensity due to the precession cycle and tilt modulates the changes caused by the precession cycle in the higher latitudes. By far the most significant variation relevant to climate changing is caused by axial precession.

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      • #
        Hanrahan

        Townsville, oft called Brownsville by our northern brothers, has had 2,350 mm YTD, and 5 times our average this month. Our dam is still 120% and the rapid water in the river has virtually halted work on our new bridge.

        Cairns, which is ALWAYS wetter has had 1,713 YTD.

        Innisfail and Tully which compete for the Golden Gumboot have had 2,815 and 2,914 YTD respectively.

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    • #
      el+gordo

      My guess is that BoM’s super computer didn’t factor in the Hunga Tonga effect.

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      • #

        Re: Hunga Tonga. Chance has defied them too long. Here are just a few examples. The Gore effect cannot be denied. The ship of fools was surely a reaction to their presence. The de-salination plant washed away by flood. Thredbo going down to -13.2 a month after they publish a paper saying below -10.4 is unlikely etc etc. It is not possible to get it wrong so quickly and consistently without divine intervention.

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    • #

      They sure got that forecast wrong. In my area they forecast 30% of average while to date 30th March we have had 130% of the average for the month over 132 yrs. February was down from average at 45% maybe that was a part of their guess but weather does not work that way. They should have at least looked at the trend of the SOI (Southern Oscillation index) which I record daily from the longpaddock site.

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  • #
    Paul Cottingham

    Content blocked in Australia by the Australian eSafety Commissioner: https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/musk-takes-on-oz-censorship

    Its about the ‘Empowerment of Satanic Socialist ideology’ using Gender bending chemicals, and banning and censoring Christians from complaining about trans experts who like bondage, bestiality, drugs, and taxpayer-funded sex-change ops.

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    • #
      TdeF

      And who polices the policeman? Just like the Human Rights commissioner. What about Climate Change censorship? Or just a Truth Commissioner?

      Albanese has threatened to outlaw ‘price gouging’, which means he intends to blame soaring prices on corporations, not his own massive waste and that of the Labor states. And endless buried taxes on Carbon Dioxide but not on fuel, which would cost an election. Just a 35% tax on the use of fuel in aircraft, trucking, manufactuing, agriculture, shipping.

      Wait till the full 35% tax on Qantas, Virgin and air and sea and truck fuel hits the consumers. How is Qantas going to avoid passing on this tax on their major operational cost? And why isn’t Dutton promising to repeal it?

      Government Carbon dioxide gouging/theft is the biggest problem facing Australia. And that money magically turns into worthless carbon credits created by Gillard(2011) and cashed in by Albanese (Safegaurd Mechanism 2023) while the river of cash heads to the Merchant banks and overseas, not even to the government. And please don’t tell me they are saving the world.

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      • #
        Graeme No.3

        TdeF:
        Quite off key but thanks for your help with a query which you helped me quite a lot. My reply was held back for some weeks but eventually published. Thanks muchly for your help.

        I am a little baffled by David Baker (Courier 19/2) saying we are emitting trillion of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. One reference I found was a 1.5 trillion but that was an accumulative amount from 1751. I am doubtful about that figure because this was 5 years before Joseph Black discovered this gas and who was measuring this? Was it a guess? Did they include emissions from wood burning, or whale oil or candles? And what of rubbish burning? I know that various countries in the EU don’t count these because EU Rules claim it doesn’t count.
        No one can know how much CO2 has been emitted by human causes. At one time Ireland was 80% forest, now it is 11%. Once the trees were gone the people burnt peat. Indeed Ireland burns 20,000 tonnes of peat every year, but this is imported so isn’t counted.
        It seems that his reference was based on total CO2, otherwise humans would have died out years ago – unless CO2 is recycled into trees, grasses and the oceans. Finland has recovered from near deforestation in the 18TH century. And NASA reports that satellites show greenery increasing 14% recently.
        Does CO2 the sole affect on climate? Just over 400,000 years ago central Greenland had shrubs and grass and no 2 km. of ice (CO2 300 ppm). And 130,000 years ago (CO2 285 ppm) there were elephants, giraffes and lions in the Thames Valley, and hippos in the water and in the Rhine. Should we blame Neanderthals driving SUV’s?

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      • #
        Skepticynic

        >who polices the policeman?

        In the case of Julie Inman Grant breaking the law by over-application of censorship which legally should incur 20 penalty units, the AFP choose to turn a blind eye.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWyhLpmCHH0

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      David Maddison

      Australia’s censorship regime, especially by the E Safety Kommisar (a Liberal Party appointment), taxpayer subsidies on steel and aluminium exports to the US and selling below manufacturing cost (due to the high cost of “green” energy), support for endless war in the Ukraine; Al-bozo, Wrong and KRudd all having TDS; support for wokeness (multi-genders etc.), DEI, ESG, support for the Paris Accords, support for the terrorist regime in Gaza, etc. are among the reasons the US is somewhat disengaging from Australia.

      The US taxpayers also don’t want to see their hard earned money wasted on grants to Australian “universities” thst are fundamentally anti-Australian, anti-American, Communist and anti-Judeo-Christian religion in outlook. I was surprised that they were actually receiving about A$600 million in funding from US taxpayers and Americans were shocked too. And Australia is or was a rich country and doesn’t need such foreign aid.

      And we even see the cooling-off in relations with subtle hints such as the non-appearance of the B-52, F-22, F-16, KC-135:and B-1 bomber at the Avalon Air Show, some or all of which have been on static display or flybys in previous years.

      Fixing all those things and more would be of great benefit to both Australia, the US and the world.

      I am very happy that TRUMP, JD, and Elon are using their influence to try and fix these things for us because certainly no one in the Uniparty will.

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        David Maddison

        Under Al-bozo, Wrong and Krudd (for non-Aussies that’s the PM, Foreign Minister and US Ambassador), all extreme Left or communist, all with severe TDS, Australia has deteriorated from one of America’s closest allies to only being a mediocre one. In fact the only reason the US doesn’t disengage further is probably because of the Pine Gap satellite communications base and the joint Australia/US Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt (ELF transmitter for submarine comms) near Exmouth, WA. At some point these could be presumably relocated to a more friendly country if Green Labor win the next election and relations continue to deteriorate.

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        el+gordo

        Its no secret that half a dozen B2 Stealth bombers have been deployed to Diego Garcia for an imminent attack on Iran.

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    • #
      David Maddison

      See the shocking censorship of a Canadian man peacefully standing with a sandwich board protesting against transgendeing of children in a public mall in Queensland.

      https://youtu.be/AKm-cpt418w

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        Kalm Keith

        Very interesting as it illustrates the incredible sickness the has engulfed our modern world.

        Local government micro regulations were mentioned by the attackers as justification for ” moving him on” and thus silencing his truth telling.

        This whole episode shows the complete lack of understanding of the biology, and reality that is behind every pregnancy.

        Another sad illustration of the human condition.

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          John Connor II

          Very interesting as it illustrates the incredible sickness the has engulfed our modern world.

          Actually, such sickness and worse has existed for thousands of years, usually coinciding with the collapse of that society. Hint.
          Take the Roman games – not just throwing christians to the lions, they did FAR worse.
          Best you do your own research on that.

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        • #
          Steve of Cornubia

          “Local government micro regulations were mentioned by the attackers as justification for ” moving him on” and thus silencing his truth telling.”

          We exist in a thick, almost impenetrable thicket of laws, rules and regulations these days, so much so that the authorities can pretty much throw a dart at a wall and find a law they can use to justify any action.

          It doesn’t matter if it stands up in court. All they need is the illusion of justification when slapping the handcuffs on. It doesn’t matter if a conviction follows because, as Mark Steyn often says, the legal process IS the punishment – and the deterrent.

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        Jon Rattin

        It appears Billboard Chris didn’t so much obstruct members of the public as he did offend the DEI sensibilities of the Brisbane council and police force.

        I was reminded of a video I saw last week that involved a J6er being physically intimidated and verbally abused by Antifa protesters. It involves a guy who tries to physically censor the conversation between the video maker and the J6er by using a placard rather than debating or articulating his grievances.

        The J6er comes across as well spoken and knowledgeable whilst the Antifa protesters seem unhinged and violent.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkYoaKVVLdo

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  • #

    Weather Watch TV is the best weather broadcast. Better than the BoM.

    This is Australia’s 7 day weather forecast. Broadcast on Friday last week.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO0z9e68jt8

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      Greg in NZ

      When is a cyclone not a cyclone –

      Alleged Cat 1 TC Dianne in the Kimberley ‘existed’ for less than 24 hours according to the BOMsters: it deepened overnight Friday then by 8am Saturday it was back to ‘tropical low’ status, with their partners in crime, ABC, reporting locals were overjoyed with the cool change and welcome precipitation.

      Yet it will be added to the list of man-made existential calamities which we simply MUST take action against for the sake of the children’s children’s gender fluid and/or some obscure snail living under a rock.

      When is science not science?

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      • #
        Greg in NZ

        A New Zealand joke:

        ”Chatham Islands: Fine.”

        http://www2.metservice.com/

        About as rare as hen’s teeth – when the mainland is cloudy, showery, rainy, windy, whatever, the once-in-a-blue-moon “fine” for the isolated volcanic outpost of civilisation is always worth celebrating, even though pointy headed labcoats say it’s all our fault.

        The lobster and fish, however, are delicious.

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        • #
          Earl

          And that other NZ joke regarding the Chatham Islands as being the place the Moriori fled to having been driven out of NZ by the new arrivals the Maori.

          Interesting reading here, particularly the Musket Wars and the genocide of the Moriori by invading Maori between 1835-1863. Apparently cannibalism and enslavement also featured. Surprised at how “forthright” wiki is on the subject.

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    • #
      TdeF

      And the famous Israeli Prime Minister who won half a Nobel Peace prize in 1978 with Anwar Sadat, Menancing Bacon. At least he took advice from Jimmy Carter, not a Bush.

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    • #
      Earl

      Two surfers walking into the water when out on the horizon a massive hand 600×400 feet rises up out of the sea. One surfer turns to the other and says “Man, look at the size of those waves”.

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  • #
    David Maddison

    Douglas Murray discusses the future and likely decline of Once Great Britain.

    https://youtu.be/g__ClSdFfuo

    “Douglas Murray: Something BIG is About to Happen in the UK…”

    In this powerful video, Douglas Murray lays bare the brewing storm in the UK, revealing the consequences of the widening gap between public concerns and government action. For over two decades, British citizens have repeatedly voiced their desire for reduced immigration, but what they’ve received is the opposite. Murray takes a hard look at the numbers—since 2008, a staggering 74% of new jobs have gone to non-British-born individuals, a trend that’s putting immense pressure on the economy and social cohesion.

    He dives into the frustration felt by ordinary people, who are not only ignored but often insulted when they voice their concerns. The disconnect between the public and politicians has created a volatile situation, with peaceful protesters labeled as far-right extremists, and critical figures like Tommy Robinson silenced by a crackdown on dissent.

    SEE DESCRIPTION AT LINK FOR REST PLUS VIDEO

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      TdeF

      It’s the same throughout the Anglosphere. Politicians are implementing their agenda, once elected. What the people think is completely irrelevant. There are no conservatives. Policy has come entirely from the Greens/Chinese Communists as Labor loses their manufacturing base as all work goes overseas and the former Labor working class vanishes into the public service.

      Their enemy is conservatism and democracy while public service salaries soar past private enterprise. Vice Chancellors of Australian universities get $1-$2Million for what is a nominal role. And at the head of all the wasted billions is a vastly overpaid public servant who is generally unknown and unaccountable.

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    David Maddison

    I am not at all convinced that the Liberal/National coalition will win Australia’s next Federal election.

    Even though the Liberals are not a conservative party, they are still less bad than Green Labor and are therefore preferable.

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      Glenn

      Agree David. There appears to be enough non thinking fools in our voting public, and with the diluted conservative vote created by independents and the nutty Teals and crazy preferential voting system, we may very well end up with a minority Marxist government being controlled by the Greens. The media seem to be conditioning the populace by the never ending reporting of the chances of a hung parliament of Marxist idiots. It would appear going on the polls, that the best we could hope for is a minority conservative win, with One Nation getting Labor Lite across the line ( the LNP ).

      However….being an eternal optimist, I hope we see an absolute landslide towards to LNP, with Labor and the Greens wiped out, but I’m assuming most voters have had enough of a demonstration of what living under full blown socialism is like after the last three years of example.

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      TdeF

      They are not even trying. Refusing to slam the Climate Change billions. Or the $1Billion on Quantum Computing. Or the Snowy II tunnel, which after all was a Liberal idea but should be stopped immediately. Or the vast waste at every level of government. It’s all elect me because I am different to my twin.

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    • #
      OldOzzie

      David et al,

      Graham Young has been doing surveys on Australian Politics for many years, and has asked if it can be passed on to younger generation to expand survey base

      https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/?sm=Nyy99b2pmNGyumiIxQ2ArPQPsSt4pjCHhVh5CgmiFatv6d5RyTiE6uL733UKdwol

      Federal election 2025

      Hi. This poll is a qualitative poll conducted by What the People Want and On Line Opinion. We want to know what you think, and what motivates you. This is different from quantitative polling where you are only asked how you are going to vote.

      This poll will form part of our coverage of Australian politics.

      The deadline for the poll is midnight on Wednesday April 2, 2025.

      If you are interested in results of previous polls please go to http://www.whatthepeoplewant.net where you can find tables and analysis.

      If you have any issues, please contact Graham Young, editor@onlineopinion.com.au.

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      KP

      Well, the war in Ukraine is over and I assume Russia won! At least, that’s the SMH point of view, where there is a complete lack of their usual Russia-bashing and all has been taken over by election articles.

      The race between Tweedledum and Tweedledumer to get their hands on the money machine. I don’t see a difference between them, disgusting people just wanting power over others.

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        John Connor II

        Ssshhh…don’t tell anyone but Trump is going to pull the USA out of NATO…
        Sorry EU – you’re front and centre for the continuing war in Ukraine now.
        Draft those bludging criminal illegals, that’ll make their day!
        EU citizens should get a 3 day supply of water, bandaids, cornflakes and a torch just in case they get nuked.
        /sarc

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      Sambar

      I have two granddaughters facing their first federal election. Interestingly although both well educated (and smart) they have no idea how the voting system works.
      While talking about our complex system is prompting some interest, I have a fear that they may inadvertently waste their votes.
      My solution. I have already applied for a postal vote. Once this arrives a big sit down session and the best explanations and assistance that I can muster.
      The aim. Well they are their own people. They can vote for whom ever they choose. They will however enter the polling booth with at least a modicum of what to do, hopefully not be influenced by the “free stuff” but do a tiny bit of research into which party best represents their long term interests and more importantly the best long term interests of Australia.
      It is not a game of noughts and crosses (tic tac toe ) regardless of the fact that it looks like it.

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        MeAgain

        It would be much more interesting if we also got to vote for local officials – the Sherriff, Education Board etc – like in the US.

        Trying to get young people enthusiastic about voting for this bunch of clowns must be difficult.

        Especially with compulsory voting – you can see how many idiots are out there, all of them voting

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      OldOzzie

      Just to cheer you up David – Judith Sloan on the Budget

      Sunny Jim Chalmers fails to save for rainy days ahead

      JUDITH SLOAN

      What does the budget signify about the government’s view of its role in economy? What weight is being placed on immediate political considerations compared with longer-term structural challenges? Was this week’s budget one for Australia or one for Labor?

      In keeping with the partiality of the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, for alliteration – something he has in common with teenagers – the declared theme of this year’s budget is relief, repair, reform.

      Take it from me, while there is a small degree of relief for voters – the electricity rebate is a case in point – there is no real reform in the budget and absolutely no repair.

      On this last point, just look at the figures.

      Government net debt goes from $556bn this financial year to $768bn at the end of the forward estimates period in 2028-29.

      Net interest payments rise from $15bn this year to $28bn, a close to doubling.

      The figures on government spending are equally alarming. This financial year, government payments are expected to rise by 6 per cent in real terms, which is historically very high.

      Recall that when Wayne Swan was Labor treasurer he promised to restrict the annual growth of government spending to 2 per cent a year, although admittedly he failed to stick by his own rule. Next financial year, government spending will rise by 3 per cent.

      With this backdrop, we are expected to believe the Treasurer’s claim that payments will grow by a mere 1.7 per cent a year across the seven years to 2028-29. Almost every economic commentator has cast doubt on this claim. Voters are likely to respond along the line: tell him he’s dreamin’.

      The tag of repair can be quickly discarded, which leaves reform and relief. One example of reform being touted by the government is the elimination of non-compete clauses in contracts covering workers earning less than $175,000.

      Evidently we are expected to believe that this productivity-enhancing measure will add $5bn to the economy. The reality is that the arguments for and against non-compete clauses are complex, and this measure overwhelmingly will affect smaller businesses.

      If firms cannot protect their client lists or their intellectual property, one effect may be an unwillingness to take on new workers and to provide training. Economists are always looking out for unintended consequences.

      The bottom line here is that this week’s budget marks a substantial deterioration in our budgetary position, with the two years of surpluses effectively blown up.

      It is the antithesis of repair. When it comes to relief, we are now borrowing to provide across-the-board electricity bill relief and small tax cuts. And reform is largely missing.

      140

      • #
        KP

        “this week’s budget marks a substantial deterioration in our budgetary position, with the two years of surpluses effectively blown up.”

        This has never been different, no matter which Party.. Get power, put the screws on spending, blame the previous Govt, amass a war chest, three years later throw money around just before the election. Rinse and repeat..

        30

      • #
        Mike Jonas

        Every dollar that the government spends is counted as an addition to the national economy, but when government spending gets too high it is actually a drain on the economy and every job so created will destroy something like 2-3 jobs in the real economy. Albanese government spending is way above that level.

        20

    • #
      Tel

      Australia is mostly run by an unelected Canberra bureaucracy anyhow … and they don’t change when the government changes. Most of them lean hard left and genuinely believe they are the smartest people in the country, if not the whole world.

      The Labor formula for budgeting is simple … spend money buy votes.

      Liberals have learnt to use the same trick, and the voters know they are facing Hobson’s Choice.

      Remember all the thousands and thousands of submissions on the topic of free speech and whether government should be allowed to squelch alternative media? They ignored the lot … this is rock solid proof they don’t care what ordinary people think. Australians showed themselves to be obedient and easily cowed during 2020 to 2024 and from now on that’s how we will be treated. That was the opportunity to vote right there.

      160

  • #

    To keep the lights on, Abalone will just tell Australians to put their hands up.

    Not for a robbery (he has already done that), but Abalone thinks that many hands make light work.

    180

    • #
      TdeF

      Dutton would agree, pushing for nuclear energy when we are the world’s biggest coal exporter. Or were. We now even ban gold mines to save the blue banded honey bee. And Victoria spent hundreds of millions on not having the Commonwealth Games. Even Clive Palmer is pushing the Very Fast Train traditional Labor scam as if he was Elon Musk and not a crook.

      150

    • #
      OldOzzie

      Johannes Leak sums up Abalone in the Weekend The Australian Cartoon

      Shrinking to the Occasion

      100

  • #
    another ian

    ” Abalone thinks” ?????

    120

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    Chiefio reviews the ‘New Snow White” and Disney in general

    “Snow Amber and The Cultural Graffiti Artists”

    https://chiefio.wordpress.com/2025/03/29/snow-amber-and-the-cultural-graffiti-artists/

    And for

    https://chiefio.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/oldyellerremake.jpeg?w=640

    A meme title is “Black Labs Matter”

    40

  • #
    Graeme No.3

    Has anyone heard any more about the EU plan to import hydrogen from North Africa?
    “The EU, Algeria and Tunisia plan to build a subsea pipeline to start exporting green hydrogen to the bloc by 2030, but experts say the numbers don’t add up
    Algeria, Tunisia, Austria, Germany and Italy have agreed to construct a hydrogen pipeline to bring clean fuel generated with renewable energy in North Africa to the European Union, in a move hailed as one of the bloc’s “most important renewable energy projects”.
    Algeria and Tunisia anticipate large-scale green hydrogen production to be at least a decade away, calling into question plans for exports in the next five years. when the pipeline is due to start operating in 2030.
    But analysis of Algeria and Tunisia’s green hydrogen strategies reveals that neither country is likely to be in a position to export the fuel in any meaningful quantity when the pipeline is due to start operating in 2030.

    The first-of-its kind hydrogen pipeline, 3,500-4,000 kilometres long, would run under the Mediterranean Sea. It aims to connect hydrogen production centres in Algeria and Tunisia – which have yet to be built – to the Italian island of Sicily and consumer hubs in Austria and Germany by repurposing existing gas infrastructure along 65% of the route.
    But Algeria and Tunisia anticipate large-scale green hydrogen production to be at least a decade away, calling into question plans for exports in the next five years.

    Was this just another publicity stunt? My first thought was can natural gas pipelines be switched to hydrogen safely.
    The second was whether said pipeline could be damaged by some country which the EU wants to go to war with? The sort of country with lots of maritime vessels and (possibly) some annoyance about their pipelines being sabotaged?

    100

    • #
      Yarpos

      Sounds like the hydrogen version of Sun Cable. It will be interesting to see how it progresses.

      110

    • #
      RickWill

      You could expect a CF of 20% from solar panels in Algeria. It is lower than the Pilbara in Australia where you could achieve close to 30% CF. So Australia production would require 70% of the hardware for the same output.

      All the hardware would be made in China so the hardware cost the same for the EU as it is for Twiggy but EU requires almost 50% more. Twiggy soon realised it would not fly and all the other proponents doing the sums arrive at the same conclusion.

      EU can pretend they are building a pipeline for green hydrogen but it will eventually be used to get low cost NG from Nigeria. It is a way to avoid the protesters. Once the line is built, how many of the green activitists could actually tell the difference between hydrogen and methane if they had access to the pipeline.

      100

    • #
      Old Goat

      From an engineering POV its weapons grade stupid . It will leak , and any gas escaping will be undetectable without a gas analyser and will burn with a clear flame or explode . Due to hydrogens properties it will have to be compressed to make it through the pipes in any quantity . This “project” is being put forward as a cure for the destruction of the gas supply from Russia . Rebuilding Nordstream would be much cheaper .

      190

  • #
    Crakar24

    David,

    What you are saying is not quite correct, I don’t think China is preparing for war with Australia they are reacting to US retoric and are thus preparing for a US attack on them hence the military expansion into the sth china sea.

    In regards to assets of interest, there are assets far more useful/important to the US re China invasion than the ones you mentioned.
    When US attachs China China will hit targets here as part of its war against the US.

    Finally and this is just my personal opinion is that we should not associate ourselves with war criminals, I say this because Trump just bombed a Yemen civilian apartment block to kill a civilian and in the process killed multiple civilians, this is a war crime.

    The US continually supplies weapons to Israel so they can commit war crimes and genocide so the sooner we ditch the US alliance the better.

    222

    • #
      Crakar24

      This was a response to David in 3.2.1, not sure what went wrong.

      07

    • #
      Yarpos

      Interesting that China is seen as having military expansion into the South China Sea (talking about the MSM narrative) which is its front door. Yet no such language is used for the US crissing the Pacific to be there , or Australia traveeling to the northern hemisphere to be there.

      70

    • #
      Sambar

      “I don’t think China is preparing for war with Australia”
      Your right there Crakar24, China will just send its “first Fleet” the circumnavigation has been carried out, they have noted that the land appears devoid of any meaningful industry and therefore probably “Terra empty of resistance”.
      When they turn up if any Australian defence force personnel offer resistance ,any remaining government can have them charged with war crimes for fighting with an enemy.
      Like the events of a little while ago, some will see the advantages of living “close” to the new arrivals others will drift around and in about fifty to a hundred years will claim, although looking Chinese First Nations status.

      70

    • #
      John Connor II

      Where’s that bookmark…ah here it is!
      So many! (12k).

      https://armedforces.eu/compare/country_USA_vs_China

      https://armedforces.eu/compare/country_China_vs_Australia

      China’s not interested in Australia except for the land and resources and a war would be over quickly and we would lose without help.
      Can we have our guns back Mr. Albo?
      You need to watch Iran far more than China.

      50

      • #
        KP

        USA- The number of inhabitants is 331,449,281.

        China- Available for military 385,821,101.

        Do not get involved in a land war with China… But in any alternative the highly expensive, rare and very technical American weapons will get used up very quickly, while China just hands out AK47s as fast as it can.

        Alternatively China can borrow the millions of shovels from Russia and dig 5M deep holes to trap American tanks & drown the crews.

        00

    • #
      Honk R Smith

      Once upon a time, propaganda supported military operations …
      in our new World Turned Upside Down, it is now exactly opposite.

      Australia, like the rest of the Anglosphere (thanks TdeF), is already nose diving to the new order of Global Blob Oligarch Capitalism with Chicom style social control.

      They have already conquered the true 21st Century battlefield in a strategically sufficient number of Ozzian brains.
      (You may hold your new elections, which will change nothing, just as the other elections in the rest of the King’s Commonwealth … and France … and Germany … and Sweden.)

      Why would China bother breaking their already stolen new toys … that they are already sharing with the EU/WEF friends … just have to deal with those pesky party crashing Russians.
      (Like the rest of the West, your schools have already turned your children into hysterical Little Red Book waving Non-Binarys … and they made you pay for it.)
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbdJtrXYBZs
      You’re in a War (and You Don’t Even Know It) | Eric Weinstein [ARC 2025]

      So in the time honored military tradition … keep preparing, with great enthusiasm and diligence, for the last war.
      Yours and my new oligarch Overlords make even more money that way.
      We’ll be happy to ‘sell’ you new Zumwalt destroyers and F-22s that are conveniently obsolete before they get wet or fly.

      We do have a bit of a Trump Bump.
      But the Counter Insurgency-Insurgency Blob Mind Algorithmic Special Operators will regroup and retake that objective soon.
      May the burning Teslas light your way.
      (In my Democrat controlled US city, the police don’t even bother to investigate Tesla vandalism, or much else … especially when the vandals are juveniles under age 25 only acting out as result of immaturity and social marginalization.)

      Is battery fire forcing being accounted for in climate modeling?

      30

      • #

        The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. But saying “elections will change nothing” is exactly what The Blob want you to say. We’ll have none of that here.

        Even though it feels that way, if 1% of Australia doorknocked 100 people each to spread the word, and handed out flyers or just braved up and said what they think, it would change the world.

        The Trump Bump is a revolution. We will never get a better chance to spread the good stuff.

        70

  • #
    el+gordo

    Its a very tight race, my money is on a minority Coalition government.

    43

    • #
      KP

      Yep, NZ specialises in them, as does Germany whom they copied MMP from. The country runs very well for the three months of no Govt while they sort out who gets which Ministership. Then its just the usual arguments about what happens in their Cabinet meetings.

      You might get a Green/Coalition with Labor not having enough to get anywhere.

      11

    • #
      David Maddison

      Who would have the balance of power?

      01

      • #
        el+gordo

        ‘Who would have the balance of power?’

        The backroom boys are working feverishly to find independents who think like the Coalition.

        Andrew Gee (if elected) would be a good choice, but Faraway should beat him to the post.

        ‘As well as YouGov, the latest Newspoll and the latest Essential report show almost one in three voters intend to vote for someone other than the major parties.’ (Guardian)

        21

        • #
          KP

          “almost one in three voters intend to vote for someone other than the major parties.”

          Excellent, if only we can make it 50%.

          Every time I see those bland meaningless posters around the Central West I read “Keep Sam Far Away…” Talk about saturation advertising, he must have some big backers behind him.

          20

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW

    “Cancer’s “Master Switch” Blocked for Good in Landmark Study”

    https://scitechdaily.com/cancers-master-switch-blocked-for-good-in-landmark-study/

    Instapundit lead-in “FASTER, PLEASE: “

    20

    • #
      Yarpos

      It will come included in your 17th covid booster

      40

    • #
      KP

      “You’re a bit small mate..”

      “I’m 31 I’ll have you know, but I got leukemia at 6years old and the cancer growth blocker they gave me won’t let any of my cells proliferate so I can’t get bigger. Might as well have been born a dwarf..”

      10

  • #
    David Maddison

    Australia is run and governed by people who are mostly useless, unproductive and traitorous non-achievers.

    171

    • #
      John Connor II

      Who voted for ’em?

      Vote 1 – raving loony party. For a better Australia.

      30

    • #
      Sambar

      The adds are back on country tele. Vote # 1 for Greens, when we are in minority government with Labour we will really make a difference.
      Free Stuff.
      Free Medical
      Free Education
      Everything is free, except in the end someone has to pay.
      I guess the greens saw the Disney remake of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, where the socially aware, sexually diverse person Identifying as a rodent and playing a musical instrument lead all the rats into the really big house in Canberra.

      80

  • #
    John Connor II

    In the run-up to the elections, all kinds of people told me that the CDU would take charge and we’d see a correction to the right. The worst abuses of the traffic light would be put to bed, Green politics would go on the back burner and the government would begin to emphasise economic policy and migration restriction. It wouldn’t be totally satisfying, these people told me, but things would get better.

    It is now safe to say that these people were retards and that they were totally and laughably wrong. What awaits us is not a political correction but rather the traffic light on speed. We are going to get an absolute witch’s brew of tax hikes, deficit spending, industrial subsidies and political repression. If even half of these plans are realised, the coming government is going to make its predecessor look like a beacon of liberal freedom and fiscal responsibility.

    https://www.eugyppius.com/p/higher-taxes-more-political-repression

    More of the same just with different clowns, despite all the claims and promises.
    Sounds familiar.
    Which is why here…….

    30

  • #
    John Connor II

    Contraceptive and Harmful Antibiotics Found in Top Ten Fast Food Samples

    Moms Across America requested that the top ten most popular fast food brand meal samples be tested for 104 of the most commonly used veterinary drugs and hormones.

    Three veterinary drugs and hormones were found in ten fast food samples tested.
    One sample from Chick-fil-A contained a contraceptive and antiparasitic called Nicarbazin, which has been prohibited.
    Six out of ten, or 60%, of the fast food samples contained antibiotic Monesin, which is not approved by the FDA for human use and has been shown to cause severe harm when consumed by humans.
    Four out of ten, 40% of the samples contained antibiotic Narasin, which has been shown, in animal studies, to cause anorexia, diarrhea, dyspnea, depression, ataxia, recumbency, and death and pathologically by degeneration, necrosis, and repair of heart and skeletal muscles.

    https://www.momsacrossamerica.com/harmful_antibiotics_and_a_contraceptive_found_in_top_ten_fast_food_samples

    I wonder if the fast food giants fixed this in the years they’ve had to do it?
    /no.
    Let’s vaxx the animals against C19 too…

    70

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW – review your travel plans

    “Net Zero Will Make Air Travel the Preserve of the Privileged, Airline Boss Admits”

    https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/03/28/net-zero-will-make-air-travel-the-preserve-of-the-privileged-airline-boss-admits/

    20

  • #
    John Connor II

    Sunday wtf – whale cleaning

    https://va.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_st5vpm2Cax1zgyqwc.mp4

    I didn’t know they did this.
    Ooh yeah, that feels so good. Do the side too!

    50

  • #
    DD

    Fascinating video (34m 36s) on the history of Argentina, with emphasis on the country’s economy:

    Argentina Pulls off the IMPOSSIBLE in just 1 year – Economy BOOMING
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGnl4Re8Gpk

    50

  • #
    Stanley

    For some time there has been no rainfall in Perth. However overnight we had some. I intended to Gulag “BOM Perth observations “ which would provide a 30 minute list of the full weather observations. Now you get directed to a colour rich website without any clear route to the 30 min observations. In fact when you select station 6111 Get Data (6111 is Perth), all you get is to be taken back to the home page. It’s a crock. Can anyone out there provide advice on sourcing this data. Surely we don’t have to pay BOM!

    30

  • #
    Annie

    Happy Mothering Sunday to those who still celebrate it.
    (Annie…Old-fashioned English Christian Woman).

    130

  • #
    John Connor II

    DOGE to rapidly rebuild Social Security codebase.

    The project is being organized by Elon Musk lieutenant Steve Davis, multiple sources who were not given permission to talk to the media tell WIRED, and aims to migrate all SSA systems off COBOL, one of the first common business-oriented programming languages, and onto a more modern replacement like Java within a scheduled tight timeframe of a few months.

    As recently as 2016, SSA’s infrastructure contained more than 60 million lines of code written in COBOL, with millions more written in other legacy coding languages, the agency’s Office of the Inspector General found. In fact, SSA’s core programmatic systems and architecture haven’t been “substantially” updated since the 1980s when the agency developed its own database system called MADAM, or the Master Data Access Method, which was written in COBOL and Assembler, according to SSA’s 2017 modernization plan.

    https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/03/what-could-possibly-go-wrong-doge-to-rapidly-rebuild-social-security-codebase/

    It’s amazing and shocking just how much of America’s tech is this antiquated.
    Porting COBOL to Java?
    Better off just writing all new code in Python and translate/import the old database.
    If person illegal then no benefits.
    If person dead then no benefits
    If person older than 110 then no benefits.
    Check person’s income against IRS records – no benefits is income exceeds threshold, to eliminate rorts.
    There, that wasn’t too hard now was it.

    60

    • #
      RickWill

      It’s amazing and shocking just how much of America’s tech is this antiquated.

      Back in the naughties, I made regular trips to Thailand. Mobile phones were ubiquitous. Many developing nations have bypassed the need for telephone lines. Newly development nations can now bypass cell towers and go straight to satellite.

      Around 2010, I compared one of the remaining blast furnaces in the USA with one in Taiwan. The Taiwanese operation was an order of magnitude more productive than the US operation.

      US has an annual shipbuilding output of 65kgt. China has 33Mgt.

      The more infrastructure you have, the more effort needed to maintain it. One of the most difficult aspects with technological development is understanding obsolescence. The best recent example of that is the retirement paperwork for US Federal employees that DOGE has highlighted.

      50

    • #
      another ian

      That might be a fine example of “easier said than done”

      And this –

      “As recently as 2016, SSA’s infrastructure contained more than 60 million lines of code written in COBOL, with millions more written in other legacy coding languages, the agency’s Office of the Inspector General found. In fact, SSA’s core programmatic systems and architecture haven’t been “substantially” updated since the 1980s when the agency developed its own database system called MADAM, or the Master Data Access Method, which was written in COBOL and Assembler, according to SSA’s 2017 modernization plan.”

      a fine example of “when everything is said and done most of it will have been said”

      20

    • #
      Tel

      The COBOL systems are only part of the problem. There’s a database called MADAM which controls the master files and it is written in IBM 370 assembly language using specific O/S features not found anywhere else. The program runs a regular batch job resynchronization process against the COBOL systems … which came later.

      It’s about 40 years old and people have been scratching their heads how to replace it for at least the past 20 years. I wish them well … and I’m glad it isn’t me doing the work.

      70

  • #
    Steve of Cornubia

    Regarding vitamin D dosing …

    I got 5000iu tablets for my wife (ovarian cancer), which she has been taking for a few months now. Side effects zero, efficacy unknown.

    Just today however, while checking stocks, I realised that the K2 I bought to go with the D3 isn’t the version I ordered. Tiny writing on the front label mentioned D3 as an ingredient, too. A quick check revealed they had supplied the wrong item and, because the label is otherwise completely identical to what I ordered, I didn’t notice. So for the past month or so she has been taking 10,000iu. Just over a week ago, she had her bloods checked and we should get the results on Thursday. It will be interesting to see what her level is. Again though, even taking 10,000iu, she suffered no apparent ill effects.

    60

  • #
  • #
    Ireneusz Palmowski

    The pressure in the low between Australia and New Zealand will drop to 978 hPa. A very strong upper low will develop.
    https://i.ibb.co/60rZpxBF/ventusky-gust-20250331t1200.jpg

    00

  • #
    another ian

    FWIW – still pushing

    “In 2025, WebMD Claims COVID Vax ‘Still Crucial for Children’”

    “WebMD — the last place any sane person would turn to for medical advice — has come out with a whopper of a doozy of a COVID shot propaganda piece, befitting more 2021 than 2025.”

    More at

    https://pjmedia.com/benbartee/2025/03/30/in-2025-webmd-claims-covid-vax-still-crucial-for-children-n4938410

    20

  • #
    Crakar24

    Oi think GA was correct when they said there is some rather weird stuff posted on here. I like the way some people talk about China/US/ AUS relations and war preparations. Basically everything that is being said is total rubbish.

    To all those reading this stuff please don’t listen to this made up gibberish.

    Regards

    03

    • #
      Hanrahan

      You obviously have some excellent but legal public sources of news. I’m always looking for better sources, care to share or are you just an unhappy troll.

      21

      • #
        Crakar24

        Unhappy no, just someone who is not sucked in by the propaganda pedaled by the MSM.

        For example do you really think we should kick off WW3 with china due to a dispute over a non country that has always been recognised as part of “one china”?

        No of course not so why all the sabre rattling, any ideas?

        01

    • #
      Strop

      There certainly is some weird stuff posted. Someone at comment #12 claimed the Israeli’s are committing genocide and that Australia should ditch its alliance with the USA.

      30

      • #
        Crakar24

        Your a funny man strop I take it you don’t recognise the authority of the ICJ then?

        01

        • #
          Strop

          I recognise its status. Doesn’t mean its infallible. History is littered with erroneous rulings and judgements from courts and tribunals.

          My understanding of the ICJ’s decisions is that they did not explicitly declare that Israel is committing genocide. But rather that Israel needs to comply with provisions of the genocide convention, and needs to report on its actions as they relate to the convention. That the matters raised by South Africa warranted concern and that Israel needs to demonstrate compliance.
          Additionally, failing to comply with the genocide convention does not necessarily mean genocide is being committed. The genocide convention has a number of provisions that are humanitarian and non-compliance is not specifically an act of genocide.
          There was dissent amongst the panel and if you read the ICJ’s arguments you’ll see it’s reasonable that Israel is not committing genocide. At least by any traditional definition.

          If Israel is committing genocide then they really are bad at it.

          10

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